If you are white in Hawaii you are a minority. Actually, if you are 100% of anything in Hawaii you are probably a minority in this melting pot state. It made my first year in Boston very uncomfortable when I was greeted with racism head on for the first time in my life.

So when I started seeing / reading all the horrifying things going on in America now – the Nazi symbol spray painted to a wall next to the words “Make America White Again”, the Muslim kids that are being told my the classmates that they better get out of the country now… or that they will soon be orphans when their parents are sent away, and so on… those things made me tear up but selfishly hope / believe that the children of Hawaii would grow up as sheltered as I was. And then my friend’s son cried this morning when she detailed out her beach plans for the three day weekend ahead. His parents are Hawaiian (and a bunch of other things as well) which means he has beautiful brown skin, almost black with a good tan. He didn’t want to get any darker in the sun because “the new President doesn’t like black people”.

I’m just going to cut and paste my friend’s response to him below because I thought it was so beautiful:

“I told him that his beautiful brown skin is the combination of his kupuna [grandma] from Hawaii and around the world, and that we will always stand proud, and also stand alongside those of different backgrounds, faiths, and orientations who make need our help. Today, we shake it off, work hard, and spread the aloha. Aloha Aina. No Na Keiki. [Love of the land (literal translation but really more of a lifestyle choice of love). For the children.]”

I am sorry your voting was bothered this morning with Emma’s rendition of Let it go and peeking under your curtain because she wanted to make friends (which is so strange since she’s usually super shy). On the plus side, Emma loved voting! As for me… I’ll make sure to sign up for the vote from home option next time.